It's a long, very steep climb to get from where the Huskies are now to where UConn is accustomed to being at the end of the season.

But before the Huskies can start climbing, they must stop sliding. That process can begin Thursday when UConn plays at Loyola Marymount at 10 p.m. ET, a stopover game before the Huskies continue to Hawaii.

"A lot of guys are just being robotic in the sets and throughout the offense and defense," sophomore Jalen Adams said after the Huskies returned to their hotel from practice Wednesday at the Clippers facility. "A lot of guys are afraid to make mistakes, they're looking over their shoulder, trying to be perfect. That's when a lot of guys make mistakes."

Maybe it's too early to think about resumes, signature wins or RPI, but it is late enough to know the Huskies have catching up to do after home losses to Wagner and Northeastern. A true road win inside Loyola's 4,000-seat Gersten Pavilion would help, though it won't be easy.

"I'm very positive that we can get out of this," coach Kevin Ollie said. "I didn't want to be in this position, but I've been here before. I believe in myself, and I believe in this team."

The Lions have been rebuilding since hiring Mike Dunlap, who played at LMU in the late 1970s and went on to a long coaching career, including a season as coach of the Charlotte Bobcats. Loyola Marymount is most remembered for Paul Westhead's high-scoring teams in the late 1980s, which included Bo Kimble and Hank Gathers, who collapsed and died of heart disease in March 1990. The Lions went on to the Elite Eight that year, but have not been to the NCAA Tournament since. This will be the first meeting between Loyola Marymount and UConn.

"I remember they were scoring 120 and 125," said Ollie, who was a teenager in Los Angeles during LMU's heyday. "That was a really, really exciting team to watch. It kind of blended in with the 'showtime' Lakers. Everybody was feeding off that fastbreak and that fast-paced basetball. LMU was big-time."

Dunlap, who likes to play a matchup zone, took over as coach in 2014 and went 8-23 and 14-17 in his first two seasons, but he now has a very experienced group, including transfers. Senior point guard Brandon Brown, 5 feet 11, is solid. Buay Tuach (6-6), Shamar Johnson (6-7) and Stefan Jovanovic (6-11), all seniors, are all capable of hitting the boards, and the Huskies were outrebounded by Wagner (11 offensive rebounds) and Northeastern (17). Loyola scored 42 points in the paint in its loss at Nevada Monday. Loyola began with a win over Vanguard, an NAIA program.

LMU has a bigger team, and UConn could counter with a bigger lineup that includes sophomore Steven Enoch and Amida Brimah on the floor together. UConn won't have freshman big man Mamadou Diarra, still bothered by a knee injury, and Ollie said that redshirting Diarra, meaning he would be out for the year, is a possibility. Freshman guard Christian Vital, who missed the last game with back spasms, practiced Wednesday and could return, which would add to Ollie's options.

The game will be a homecoming for Vance Jackson, 6-8 forward from Los Angeles, who made his first start against Northeastern and made a couple of three-pointers, which is his strong suit.

"I've been excited to come back and play at home," said Jackson, who played last season at a prep school in northern California. "I've been away from home for a very long time. I'm excited because I want to get this 'W,' too."

"We're not going to waver from our goals and our dreams," he said after the 64-61 loss to Northeastern....

For the second time in four days, Kevin Ollie's team had no answers. And for the second time, he spent 45 minutes with them after the game before coming out to address the media and try to offer answers.

"We're not going to waver from our goals and our dreams," he said after the 64-61 loss to Northeastern....

(DOM AMORE)

Getting in No.1, naturally, is the dominant thought. UConn has lost its first two games for the first time since 1968, and has struggled in all phases, from perimeter shooting (5-for-21 against Northeastern), rebounding, hustling for loose balls, and communication on defense.

With another quick turnaround, players attended class on Tuesday, then flew to Los Angeles. Ollie kept practice short, about 1:45, and brisk on Wednesday. "Just trying to get that taste out of their mouths," Ollie said. "Just believe in each other and work hard and I think that will allow us to change. Those two things just show us what we need to do, and the lack of the things we're not doing."

The Huskies will be looking to come out with more fire, more aggressiveness. It will be a road game, but there figure to be a lot of friendly faces, people watching Jackson play as a collegian and watching Ollie coach in his hometown.

"Everybody is just hungry to get back on the court," Adams said. "We're anxious to get that first win and we know once we get it, we're just going to build on top of that and just keep rolling."

"We've never really lost our confidence," Jackson said. "We just got punched first these past two games. Some of the key elements we go over with coach is, we've got to hit first. By them hitting us first, we just allow them to get more confidence. We've got to nip that in the bud."

CAPTION

There are eight new faces in the UConn men's basketball locker room. See what a few of them have to say about the team.

There are eight new faces in the UConn men's basketball locker room. See what a few of them have to say about the team.

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There are eight new faces in the UConn men's basketball locker room. See what a few of them have to say about the team.

There are eight new faces in the UConn men's basketball locker room. See what a few of them have to say about the team.

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Graduate student transfer David Onuorah speaks about pursuing a master's degree in sports management at UConn.

Graduate student transfer David Onuorah speaks about pursuing a master's degree in sports management at UConn.

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Junior college transfer Kwintin Williams speaks about his leaping ability. He is one of eight new players on the roster for Kevin Ollie's Huskies. Williams is a 6-7 forward from Anchorage, Alaska.

Junior college transfer Kwintin Williams speaks about his leaping ability. He is one of eight new players on the roster for Kevin Ollie's Huskies. Williams is a 6-7 forward from Anchorage, Alaska.

CAPTION

Antwoine Anderson, a 6-2 guard, is from Rochester, N.Y., and a graduate transfer who played last season at Fordham.

Antwoine Anderson, a 6-2 guard, is from Rochester, N.Y., and a graduate transfer who played last season at Fordham.

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Eric Cobb, a 6-foot-9 junior forward from Jacksonville, Fla., is a junior college transfer who last played at a Florida junior college.

Eric Cobb, a 6-foot-9 junior forward from Jacksonville, Fla., is a junior college transfer who last played at a Florida junior college.